In Unknown Clutches
by x.Bloopy-Looper.x
Summary: Based on the concept of 'Alien Observation' by vic elor. What will Ben and Gwen do when the only way to buy their freedom from their unknown captors is . . . mating with each other? Rated M.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, this is my first ever story on here :P It is actually based on the fic "Alien Observation" by Vic elor. I liked the concept as it was very unique, but sadly the story itself didn't appeal to me much. Hence, I tried writing one on that concept myself! I hope you like it, as I tried my best not to make it OOC. Do forgive me if I did c:**

**Dislacimer: I do not own Ben 10 (Sadly). I do not own the main idea (as stated before) plus a few similar quotes from Vic's story. I do, however, own the story itself :)**

**Oh, and before I forget, I dedicate this story to Miroir Twin, the talented author of the amazing Bwen story 'Inverted Lover' . . .:P **

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CHAPTER ONE

"Damn . . . where are we?"

Benjamin Tennyson, 17 year old superhero and wielder of the elusive Omnimatrix, rubbed his face with the palm of his hands vigorously. After rubbing his eyes to clear out his momentarily blackened vision, he instinctively turned to the sounds coming from somewhere to his left.

"Ugh, my head hurts like hell!"

Ben quickly crawled his way towards his 17 year old cousin, not trusting his legs to support his weight at the moment. He stared at her small form in concern, wondering what was wrong.

"Gwen, are you alright?"

Gwen, who had been curled up into a fetus position on the floor, straightened up at the sound of her cousin's voice. Seconds later, a strong, warm hand helped her sit up, fingers brushing her auburn hair away from her face. She was met with bright green eyes that were scrutinizing her in worry.

"I'm fine Ben," Gwen swatted his hand away, not unkindly, frowning as she looked around. "What is this place?"

Ben sighed aloud, slumping back beside his cousin and let his head lean against the wall. "How should I know?"

"It seems we are captured," Gwen continued slowly, squinting her eyes. The room was fully white – white floor tiles, white walls, and white tube lights. It was almost blinding her eyes.

"No kidding," Ben murmured sarcastically, also looking around in curiosity. Then, on a serious note – "There's no damn way out. Not a window or a door. Who could've captured us?"

Gwen looked at the brunette, biting her lip in sudden fear. "I don't know. Do you think they are aliens?"

"What?" Ben laughed amusedly, "Aliens? Which ones? Aliens don't hover around earth just to capture two normal teens!"

Gwen scowled.

"Firstly, Benjamin, Aliens can come on earth whenever they want. It's not hard for them to do so. Didn't you see the news last night?"

"What news?" Ben asked confusedly, tilting his head to stare into equally green eyes.

"The news about the spotting of a U.F.O recently!" Gwen waved her hands around in exasperation, annoyed at her cousin's lack of information. "Two bystanders claimed to have seen a 'strange man with glowing eyes' interrogate them with strange questions. Kevin said they could be Aliens."

"Even so, why would they capture us?"

"Uh, hello?" Gwen pointed to Ben's wrist, indicating the Omnitrix. "We are not normal, remember? At least, mentally I know you are not."

"Hey!" Ben said bleakly, scooting away from her in mock hurt. "Be grateful you are not alone."

Gwen sighed, putting a hand to her forehead. "You're right. I'm sorry." She paused for a moment, contemplating something. What was the date today? What time of the day was it? Or was it night? Come to think of it, Gwen didn't even know what the day was. "Um, what is the date today?"

Ben was slightly thrown back by her question. Nevertheless, he wracked his brain to remember the date. Yesterday was a math test at school, which was on the 14th, which meant –

"Today's the 15th I guess."

"Or probably not," Gwen whispered, her green eyes suddenly feeling moist. "Maybe we've been here for a long time, and we don't know it."

Ben frowned at her proclamation. He quickly made his way to the red-head, enveloping her in a comforting hug. "Chill, Gwennie. I'm here with you."

Gwen trembled lightly, letting the taller boy comfortingly rub her back up and down. She clutched onto his green jacket tightly, one side of her cheek pressed up against the rough black fabric of his shirt. She felt slightly ashamed at herself for panicking like that, especially in front of Ben. But the thought of being kept imprisoned in a claustrophobic, white room for god knows how long made her more than upset.

She was devastated.

Once she calmed down, Ben let go of her and began inspecting the walls. Gwen's anxiety left him unnerved. She was a strong person, and breaking down in front of _him_ was something very rare. It made him realize that he had to be the responsible, mature and sensible one for now. He looked back to see his cousin sitting against the wall, knees drawn up to her chest, green eyes watching his every move with some sort of hope. Belatedly he remembered her being claustrophobic, and his heart clenched at the sight. She looked like a lost child.

"Whoever is responsible," Ben shouted suddenly, causing Gwen to jump, "will pay for it! No one has the right to detain _The_ Ben Tennyson!" He kicked the wall, punctuating each kick with a 'Stupid!'

So much for being sensible and mature.

"Ben," Gwen scolded, though there was a faint smile on her lips, "Stop it. That's a wall, not a football. Save your energy. Who knows we need it for later when escaping."

"Ah, there's the optimistic Gwen I know!" Ben stopped at once, cheerily smiling. "Of course we shall escape! Kevin, Julie or our parents are bound to realize we are missing soon."

"Yes," Gwen replied, now smiling with renewed hope. She bumped her cousin with her shoulder joyfully as he slid down beside her. "You're right. Now coming to pressing matters, how did we end up here?"

Ben leaned his head back against the smooth wall, propping an arm over a bent knee. "Hmm, last evening we were with Kevin, right?"

"Yup," Gwen replied, playing with a strand of her hair nervously, "We dropped him off at his favorite mechanic shop –"

"– to buy spare parts for his car, yeah I remember." Ben joined in, turning sideways to look at his cousin. "And then it was just me and you."

"You wanted to go to Mr. Smoothies," Gwen supplied further, "So we parked behind the building, in that dark corner under the huge cherry blossom tree _you_ insisted to park under."

"I like that tree," Ben defended himself quickly.

"Anyway," Gwen rolled her eyes, "We got off and heard scuffling noises from that dark alleyway to our left, remember?"

Ben nodded, suddenly solemn. "I keep telling you – those noises were made by the overgrown rats I keep seeing everywhere!"

"Don't be silly Ben. There are no such things as three-foot long rats with red eyes."

"You just can't see them," Ben grumbled, folding his arms. "And because of this reason, I went alone to inspect the alley. I remember seeing a hooded figure though, but then . . ."

"What?"

Ben frowned. "I don't know. I can't remember anything else. Next minute, I wake up here with you." He glanced at his cousin, who furiously bit her lip. "Gwen, what happened to you?"

"I followed you when you weren't coming back to the car," She replied quietly, eyes staring at the opposite wall in thought. "I was so scared. I went into the alleyway and saw a hooded figure as well. She was –"

"It was a woman?"

Gwen nodded, remembering seeing the pale, flawless face and ruby red lips. "Yeah, and I just stared at her. That's all I remember . . . her strangely golden eyes were the last thing I actually saw."

There was a silence in the small room for a while. Both cousins stared ahead, not really seeing anything. Ben let out a soft sigh as Gwen put her head on his shoulder, cuddling closer to him.

"I don't know why," She began softly, "I feel we are being watched. Like lab rats or something."

The brunette swept the escaping red tendrils away from Gwen's face, tucking it gently behind one ear absentmindedly. "Really? Huh, maybe they are."

"Yeah," Gwen said, feeling despair creep up her heart. She stared at her hands, playing with her fingers until a thought crossed her mind.

"Wait –" She looked up, eyes sparkling with excitement. "My magic! I can use my manna to help us! There's gotta be a way . . ." She stood up, gathered her energy and focused like she had never before. She waited for the familiar tingles to erupt on the palm of her hands, waited for the comfortable warmth to envelope her body like always.

Nothing.

Nada.

Zero.

_(Feel free to use any other synonym)_

Ben stared at the red-head with curiosity. Why wasn't her manna appearing like it always did? He waited patiently for a full minute, quietly watching Gwen try to summon the magenta light between her hands. He waited another full minute, watching his cousin stare at her hands in misery. When Gwen looked like she was about to hit her head on the wall, he finally decided to approach her.

"Ben," she started, as he came close, "I can't do it. My anodite powers . . . they are not working!"

"It's okay, Gwen," Ben gripped her shoulders gently, shaking her a little so that she would look into his eyes. "Don't lose your cool. I can't let you go into a mental breakdown right now. Kevin would kill me."

Gwen playfully aimed a punch at Ben's face, smiling lightly as he ducked to avoid the blow. It was typical of Ben to make the worst of the situations a light joke. That's what she loved about him at times. "Ben, how about the Omnitrix?" She said, holding onto the brunette's wrist like a child. "Try it!"

Ben hesitated. Although he was goofy at times and not as smart as is cousin, he had a trickle of leadership qualities within him. He knew how to take control of a situation, whether when being under attack or being the one to attack. In this particular instance, the moment Gwen had started losing it, Ben tried to activate the Omnitrix.

Sadly, he got a shock.

"Okay, Gwen," Ben fiddled with the watch like before as Gwen whimpered loudly. He pressed the side button, sliding down the square faceplate to lock in the selection. To his relief, the Omnitrix Core came out. Miserably, nothing happened again when he pressed down on it.

"Oh god, we are seriously trapped in this door-less, window-less room!" Gwen started to sob lightly, clutching her arms protectively. "Ben, what are we going to do? What is wrong with the Omnitrix?"

"The Omnitrix looks fine," Ben muttered seriously, "No damage whatsoever. It is fully operational too, yet nothing happens when I trigger it." He turned to Gwen, who was pacing the small room. "Gwen . . ."

"I'm okay, Ben," Gwen said softly, the second time that day. She wiped the tears away, willing herself to remain strong. Yet no matter what way she looked, she saw no escape route. Ben could not morph into an alien and whisk them away, nor could she herself do anything. Her powers . . . she was never without her powers. She relied on them too much. She felt betrayed. And claustrophobic.

"What the _hell_ is going on?" Ben shouted out in frustration. The situation was going from bad to worse. Not to mention Gwen's increasing mental depression. "I need answers, NOW!"

"We shall answer your questions, human."

Ben and Gwen simultaneously looked at each other, mirroring identical expressions of surprise. They looked around for any source of the voice, more surprised to see a speaker hanging from one corner of the ceiling. Why did they not see it before?

"You cannot escape," The strange, inhuman voice continued, "And we do not intend to let you yet. The spaceship is activated with scalar fields, hence the cause of disabling your device and other abnormal energy matter."

"So there's nothing wrong with me," Gwen whispered to her cousin, feeling half relieved and half angry. She turned to the speaker, shouting, "Why are we here? Why only me and Ben, and no one else?"

"Selecting human mates is a very delicate matter," The voice said again, "We selected only you both, as we needed only one male and one female of your species."

"Mates?" Ben said in a confused voice, "What does that have to do with me and Gwen? _And why was it me and Gwen_?"

There was a pause at the other end, in which both cousins glanced at each other in unease.

"To you first question – yes, Mates. We intend to study your species thoroughly, and one base of research is still not covered."

"And that is . . .?" Gwen said fearfully, already knowing the answer.

"Breeding between two humans, of course!"

Both cousins gasped aloud, Ben roaring mindlessly and Gwen blushing with embarrassment.

"NO! We absolutely refuse! We can't do this." Ben managed to sputter out a few proper words (to his own surprise).

"Indeed you can, and you will." The reply made Gwen shiver in fear suddenly. "And to your second question, we selected you both because you qualify our preferred criteria: One male, pre-adult and physically normal, and one female of similar qualities. You both also share high levels of understanding, proper interactions and a healthy emission of stable pheromones. Also, it seems you both share similar DNA, which has much less chance of producing any biological errors in our tests."

"What?" Ben shouted, not believing his ears. His mind still swam with words like 'physically normal', 'pheromones' and 'similar DNA'. "You cannot be serious. Gwen and I are family. We simply cannot do this!"

"Enough! You will do as we say, and provide us all the needed information. Once completed, we shall set you two free without harm. Otherwise, the one who won't comply shall be exterminated."

"We don't care!" Ben yelled, hands balled into fists. "Kill us if you want. We won't co-operate with your stupid schemes!"

There was another silence from their side, and both teens could hear faint mumbling in some unknown language. Gwen bit her lip continuously, gingerly placing a hand on Ben's shoulder.

"Ben," She whispered, flinching slightly as the taller boy whipped around to stare at her. "Please calm down."

"Don't you understand, Gwen?" Ben seized her upper arms, shaking her roughly. "Can't you see what they are gonna make us do? It's wrong, so fucking wrong!"

"Stop it," Gwen squirmed in his grasp, suddenly afraid of her own cousin's strength. "You're hurting me, Benjamin!"

Ben, realizing that his cousin actually teared-up again, instantly released her. He ran a hand through his messy brown hair, vaguely aware that the room was silent again apart from Gwen's sobs. He looked at her quivering form, hating himself.

"I'm so, so sorry Gwennie," Ben approached her slowly, gently wrapping his arms around her this time. It was obvious that Gwen was traumatized by all this, and here he was, scaring her more. "I didn't mean to hurt you, I swear. It's just – we can't play along. Tell me, are you willing to do as they say?"

Gwen dried her tears as she heard Ben's steady heartbeat. Once again, she found herself pressed up against his muscled chest, feeling embarrassed yet again. Never once before did she breakdown in front of and hug her annoying cousin repeatedly within the span of an hour. She was beginning to wonder why fate was being such a joke.

"N-No. It's wrong, but I don't want to die, Ben."

"They won't kill you. I won't let them."

"But they will kill you," Gwen said softly, fear for her cousin thick inside her heart. "I can't see that happening, Ben. I can't let you die! It's clear these aliens whatsoever are dangerous, and we clearly have no chance of ever escaping."

Ben stayed silent for a moment. He kept hugging his cousin, unable to see her expressions as she had said all that. In a way, he was grateful, for he didn't think he could bear to see the embarrassment and fear on her face.

"Gwen, what about – about Kevin? And Julie? Or our parents? What will they do if –?"

"They will never know about this," Gwen cut in sharply, pushing away from her cousin and taking a couple of steps away from him. "Never. I won't tell them, and obviously you won't. Don't you want to escape alive, Benjamin?"

Ben stared at her in surprise. One moment, she was a crying mess, clutching onto him for comfort, and in the next she suddenly distanced herself from him, speaking coldly and hugging herself as though in pain. The brunette knew Gwen was not joking. She was serious, a fact he identified especially when she called him by his full name.

"Okay," He whispered to her, suddenly feeling numb. Then with a louder and angrier voice, he turned to the speaker. "OKAY. Fine! We will do as you say, but first let us out of this room! Gwen does not feel well here."

He glanced at Gwen as he said this, noticing the way she was unresponsive to his unusual request. He slowly walked towards her, though he made no move to be physically in contact with her. Something in her stance made him want to give her some space. Instead, he just bent his head lower and whispered "Maybe while they move us, we can try to escape!"

Gwen just remained silent, observing the white floor without thought. She felt mentally tired all of a sudden, wishing she could close her eyes and go to sleep. Apprehension, fear, disgust . . . all these negative emotions swirled inside her body, making her nauseous. She never even blinked when Ben told her his plan, though it did slightly amuse her.

"Dumbass," She replied without emotion, still looking at the floor, "We are most likely in outer space. There is indefinitely, no way to escape alive."

Ben raised his eyebrows at her reply, but before he could say anything, the familiar voice he started to hate filled the room. "Excellent. We will start the research with a few basic physical tests first. You both will have to be separated for a while as they are conducted individually."

"No, I will not separate from Gwen!"

"Such emotional bonding is very good, human," The mechanical voice seemed pleased, and Ben unwillingly felt heat rise up his neck. "But it is for a short time. I assure you, you both will eventually unite and carry out the mating as we require."

Ben closed his eyes at the last part, feeling more and more mortified.

_Please god, no more torture!_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow, thank you all SO much for reviewing :) It really made me motivated to upload this next chapter. Unfortunately, my next update will be slightly late due to school tests etc. Dx**

**I figured that this story shall be only three or four chapters, so do check up on it and keep reviewing! It helps me a lot to get motivated c:**

**EDIT  
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***Updated on 16/10/2012 for some silly mistakes .  
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**A/N 2: Please tell me whether I should add a citrus scene in the next chapter or just skip the mating details. I really am inexperienced but if you want, I may try my hand at writing it!  
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CHAPTER: 2

Gwen bunched up her long red-orange hair to one side of her shoulder, sighing as she tried in vain to pull down the simple white gown she wore over her knees. It resembled those of typical hospital ones, making her feel as though she was about to undergo a surgery. She stared around for the hundredth time, having already memorized every inch of the place. This new room was not so different from the previous one – it had the same gleaming white floor, white walls and white lights. The only differences were that it was bigger, having a door that was always kept locked, and various experimental instruments lined up against one wall. She herself sat on a stretcher, legs dangling of the edge, hands on her lap.

"We will be back in a moment, human."

Gwen looked up at the two 'aliens' that were also present in the room. Both wore dark robes and hoods over their heads, from which she could only spot gleaming golden eyes. They looked human, with normal hands and body structure. However, she knew appearances could be deceiving. Indeed, she remembered what those very human-like hands could transform into.

Gwen sighed again, hoping Ben was acting sensible. She knew how much he died to escape, and separating her from him made him feel worse.

"_Why can't we do the stupid tests together?"_ Ben had yelled at the two 'aliens', who were restraining the brunette from each arm. In efforts to keep the boy from escaping their grasp, the two hooded creatures transformed their hands into claw-like things, with long bony fingers and long pointed nails. Gwen had been terrified to see those hideous claws touching her cousin, begging him to stop struggling.

"_Ben, please go quietly with them! Please!"_

That had at least made Ben stop struggling, though he did throw heavy scowls in her direction before getting blindfolded.

Once Ben had left, two more 'aliens' came to put her a blindfold. She had no choice but to oblige – it was either that or death. They took her through many turns and passages, and in between her shifting she had tried to summon up her manna in vain. The remaining hope that she could find a way to escape got squashed out of her after that.

Gwen let her face fall into her hands, wishing it was all a dream. Bitterly she knew it was hopeless, and both she and Ben were doomed to play into the hooded creature's hands. She breathed deeply, frowning as the strange smells from her skin entered her nose.

_A nice, warm bath will be the first thing I would do if and when we get out of here alive._

The strange smells were not bad. In fact, they were pretty nice, like some flowery and fruity scents all combined together. Gwen frowned for a second, wondering how she smelled like this.

_Oh, yeah. The 'purifying water'._

When she had been led away from Ben, the 'aliens' had led her into a relatively large room that looked like a normal bathroom. They had ordered her to 'Get rid of any extra waste or bodily fluids that could disrupt the tests.' Though Gwen felt humiliated at this order, she had to obey, going through a routine she did before she went to bed every night. The 'aliens' then made her bathe in a huge tub filled with sparkling lavender liquid, which had at first made her freeze on the spot.

"_No! That looks dangerous." _She had said in a shrill voice.

"_Do not worry,"_ One of the hooded creatures said, and Gwen could detect a hint of amusement in its emotionless voice. _"It is simply purifying water. It will remove unwanted substances from the surface of your body, mainly clog up your sebaceous glands to prevent excretion of oils."_

"_So, it means I won't sweat?"_

"_Indeed,"_ the 'alien' proceeded to bunch up all of Gwen's hair into a knot, then placing a cover similar to a shower cap on her head. _"Your head should stay above the surface of the purifying water."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because the water also causes your skin to undergo depilation. Your hair follicles shall weaken and fall out. However, if you would rather remove your scalp –"_

"_No, thank you,"_ Gwen said hurriedly, eyeing the sparkling liquid with suspicion.

Once the creatures left, she had stripped and gingerly submerged into the liquid. Surprisingly, it was neither hot nor cold, the temperature just fine. The fragrance emitting out was delicious and when she glided her fingers through the liquid, it felt like silk ribbons flowing through them instead.

For the first time since being captured, she had felt relaxed.

The huge metal door that was on the opposite wall suddenly glided open, breaking Gwen's thoughts of the past. The previous two 'aliens' entered the room again with silent footsteps. Gwen looked up from her hands and froze when she saw one of them holding a _very_ big syringe.

"This is just to take some of your life essence – what you humans call blood."

Gwen did not respond, staying mute and letting one 'alien' strap her arm. It was just like a normal blood test, except she felt afraid and the syringe was a monstrosity. However, once he blood was collected and the 'alien' took out _another_ syringe from its robe, she spoke up.

"What is that? I do not want more needles inserted into my body, thank you very much!"

"That was exactly what your mate had also said," the 'alien' said, slight amusement again in its voice. "Not to worry. This is not to collect blood."

Gwen, who was slightly restless to realize that Ben had to go through everything too, narrowed her green eyes. "I know that. I can see it's filled with yet another sparkling red liquid."

"Indeed," the creature replied, positioning the needle at the surface of Gwen's skin. "This won't harm you at all. I advise you to relax and avoid fighting its affects." That said, the needle inserted into her vein and all the sparkly red liquid entered the 17 year Old's body.

Gwen winced at the slight prick at the start, and at once felt the liquids affects. She felt warm and fuzzy, slightly dizzy to the point her vision got blurred. "W-What was that?" She mumbled, putting a hand to her head as the 'aliens' bandaged up her arm.

"Nothing much. Only a sedative that will help you in your mating session."

Gwen frowned, her mind working sluggishly so that she could not really grasp the meaning of what had been said. She bleakly realized she was actually being supported by the creatures – she couldn't stand up well.

"What is h-happening to m-me?" She said in a panicked voice.

"Relax, Human," One of the 'alien' said strictly, guiding her out of the room and into the dim passage. "These symptoms shall wear off in a few minutes."

Gwen struggled to memorize the turns and passages of the ship as she was led along in a strange fashion. Both 'aliens' were holding each of her upper arms, walking on either side of her like bodyguards. Her feet kept stumbling over each other, yet she could feel her mind getting her body back into control at a slow pace.

"Here we are. I assure you shall feel comfortable here."

Gwen lifted her head up heavily as the metal door in front of her slid open, revealing a dimly lit room. As she entered with the help of the 'aliens', she blinked furiously to let her eyes get accustomed to the darkness. It was a large circular room, with a huge circular thing occupying the left side of the room. Vaguely, and mortifyingly, she realized it was a bed.

And there was someone already on it.

"We based this room's atmosphere and design according to numerous research data about Human Mating Habits and Environments. We shall leave you two now, and need I remind you that escape from here is impossible."

Gwen scowled as her bodyguards left her standing on the spot, bidding them farewell as though they were going to do something heroic. She swayed lightly on the spot, half-ready to run out behind them before she remembered their claw-like hands and her possible death. Once she heard the door close and automatically lock, she turned to observe the room.

Large and circular, it was illuminated dimly by lights that hung from each wall. They gave out soft, golden hues that spilled lightly over the soft red carpet on the floor. Indeed, this room made her relaxed . . . or was that the sedative working? She shook her head to clear out a wave of approaching dizziness, trying to focus on the main object in this room.

She stilled as she caught sight of the occupant on the bed.

Ben was staring at her unmoving, his green eyes looking distant as though dreaming. He lay on his stomach, his chin propped up over his hands, a frown appearing on his face.

"Gwen? Is that you?"

Gwen hesitated. "Yeah, it's me."

Ben stared for a few more seconds before slowly getting up, never breaking eye contact. As he got off the bed, Gwen realized that he was also wearing nothing but a short white gown that reached till his knees. She blushed, looking away at once.

"Gwen, it's you!" Ben, without warning, jumped at her, engulfing her into a bear hug.

Gwen stayed still for a moment before trying to extract herself from his embrace. Not only did the knowledge about what they had to do made her suddenly recoil; the fact that both wore nothing but a flimsy piece of fabric over their bodies was plain disturbing. Apparently, Ben didn't seem to mind any of this.

"Gw – what is wrong?" Ben asked in a hurt voice, and Gwen could see his eyes still have a dreamy look. It was an almost familiar look, like those rare moments when her silly cousin would get himself very drunk.

"Ben, tell me one thing," Gwen asked gently, stepping a few steps back yet holding his hands in her own. "Did those 'aliens' inject you with some red liquid?"

Ben paused for a moment before breaking into a scowl. "Oh, yeah. They injected that sparkly stuff inside me twice. TWICE."

"That's . . ." Gwen frowned herself, concerned for her cousin's state. Once was more than enough, yet they had to inject Ben _twice_? Did he cause a lot of problems?

She sighed, slowly pushing Ben down on the bed for him to sit. He complied like an obedient child, staring at her with eyes that blinked sleepily.

"Gwen, I feel really weird," Ben stated suddenly, clutching his head with both hands. "After they injected me with that stuff, I couldn't walk on my own. I still feel drowsy . . . but calm. What did they put in me?"

"A sedative," Gwen replied grimly, sitting beside her cousin on the soft bed. "To make us relax and calm our nerves for –" Gwen swallowed, not wanting to complete the sentence. Instead, she lifted her head a little to see Ben's face, whose nose was almost touching hers.

"You had that stuff injected in you too?" Ben asked in a whisper, though the frown on his face told Gwen that he was mad.

"Yeah. Once."

Ben kept staring into her eyes, which were just a few inches away. The intensity of his gaze suddenly made her heart flutter and beat faster – just like when Kevin would throw her winks when he thought no one was looking.

_Oh my God, what is happening to me? Heart – stop it!_

"You're turning pink," Ben spoke up suddenly; an eyebrow raised yet a slow smile spreading across his lips. "What happened, Gwen? Feeling hot?"

Gwen tore her gaze away from that devious smile, not understanding why it made a shiver go down her spine. She ignored his question as she stood up, instead walking around the room to think.

"It's the sedative," Gwen murmured to herself, glancing at Ben every ten seconds as she passed him. He just seemed to lie back down on the bed, his back propped against the flat headboard. "Obviously it affected Ben more, as he had double the amount injected than I had."

As Gwen paced the room, Ben watched her calmly, wondering why the hell he didn't feel as agitated with the situation as she was. Wasn't he the one who was the most against all this in the first place? He had made the most noise and stubbornly refused to co-operate before. Then why was he calm now?

_Sedative_, Ben remembered Gwen saying. Yes, it had to be the stupid red liquid that went inside his body. Not once, but freaking twice! That damn liquid was the cause of his dizziness and tranquility.

And the reason he suddenly couldn't keep his eyes off of his cousin.

Why had he never noticed the way how hypnotically her hips swayed as she walked before?

Or the fact that the way she was currently biting her lower lip made him want to bite it too?

Ben closed his eyes, trying to bring normal thoughts back into his mind. How did he end up having such ridiculous thoughts about Gwen – _his_ cousin? Ah, but he couldn't deny how tempting she smelled right now.

_Wha – shuddap, brain! How she _smells_? Seriously, control yourself!_

The way Gwen passed by him every moment sent a whiff of her unique different scent in his direction, making him slightly restless.

_Restless for what? Tennyson, stop your abnormal thoughts at once! She's your DOOFUS cousin, remember?_

Her long, shapely legs were exposed to his appreciative stare, making him wonder whether Kevin realized he was a lucky guy to have this red-head as his girlfriend.

_AH, Kevin! Gwen's boyfriend, remember that?_

Surprisingly, the thought of Kevin made his mouth taste bitter. He did not deserve his cousin at all! Kevin was just a bad-mannered, power-loving egoistic maniac who loved annoying him at any opportunity. He probably didn't even love Gwen, and was only infatuated by her. Why couldn't Gwen see that?

His sinister thoughts got suddenly interrupted when he noticed Gwen stare back at him.

"Ben, could you please stop staring like that? I feel as though you are burning holes through my body."

Gwen stopped walking, putting her hands on her hips in annoyance. For the past couple of minutes, Ben had been constantly following her every move with his eyes. She was uneasy, not only because it made her want to cover herself, but because she had actually _liked_ his attention.

_Good God._

She also felt troubled at the way Ben was suddenly behaving, but she knew he was not in control of his senses at the moment. He was pretty drugged, so she could not muster any anger towards him. However, the next thing he said to her made her dumbfounded.

"Gwen, I want you to break up with Kevin."

"What?!"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Ah, I apologize for the late update, but here it is! I seriously don't believe I am publishing this ;o *Blushes furiously***

**Thanks to the reviewers and awesome people who convinced me to write this scene :D**

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CHAPTER THREE

"Gwen, I want you to break up with Kevin."

"What?!" Gwen stared at the boy incredulously. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Ben seemed unaffected by her irritation, talking calmly as though discussing the weather. "You heard me. Break up with that guy."

"Why?"

"Because he doesn't love you! He is only lusting after you!"

Gwen was shocked, not believing her cousin's words. "Are you serious, Ben? Stop assuming nonsensical things! Kevin does not lust after me!"

"Why can't he?" Ben crossed his arms over his chest, still as calm as ever. "Any guy can, Gwen. You're smart, brave, have a good sense of humor . . . not to mention sexy as hell."

Gwen lowered her hands from her hips, this time actually folding her arms around her middle as though to hide from the brunette's penetrating gaze.

_Did Ben just say that – that I was __sexy__?_

She felt heat rise up to her cheeks, and for a moment tried to feel angry at her brown-haired cousin. Instead, as she met his eyes, he winked.

He _winked_.

"Stop behaving like a freaking weirdo, Ben!" Gwen suddenly yelled, partially to blame her pink cheeks as anger induced blushing instead.

Ben just chuckled suddenly, climbing off the bed to walk towards her.

"It's the sedative! I know you are not to blame, but can you please try to control yourself here?" Gwen kept yelling, trying to ignore the slowly advancing Ben. She promptly turned around, crossing her arms over her chest and huffing angrily.

The deep chuckles from behind her made her strangely want to smile too, but her resolve remained thankfully strong.

Until she felt strong arms wrap around her waist, pulling her flat against the hard body behind.

"You're so cute when you're grumpy and ready to kill."

Ben's voice was husky, and his breath tickled her left ear. He took the advantage of her frozen stance to brush her long hair away from the left shoulder, nuzzling into her sweet-smelling skin and inhaling deeply.

"Ben . . ." Gwen was surprised to hear her voice suddenly become breathless, realizing that she was subconsciously leaning into him.

"Mmm, you smell delicious, Gwen." Ben nuzzled continuously, his breath constantly tickling her skin.

"Ben, stop." Gwen, with a force she didn't know she was capable of producing, pulled away from her cousin. Depressingly, she wished she was back in his embrace. "It's the sedative making us feel things that are not actually there."

A deafening silence suddenly fell upon the circular room. Gwen trembled lightly as the boy in front stared continuously at her. Whether from unexplainable dread or anticipation – she didn't know.

"Gwen," Ben replied quietly, though she could feel anger radiate out of his every pore. "Wasn't it _you_ who wanted to carry on? Even when I didn't give up fighting, weren't _you_ the one convincing me that we could escape alive by having sex?"

Gwen winced at the blunt way Ben said that, again feeling heat rise up her neck and cheeks.

"I –I –" She stammered, looking away from him in shame, "I did. And it seems like the only way to buy our freedom."

"Then," Ben said softly, nearing towards her like a cat about to jump on its prey, "Stop blaming the sedative." He slipped an arm around her waist and pressed her back against the smooth cream colored walls. "Be thankful instead, as it made everything actually easier for us."

Gwen gasped lightly at the action; an even more breathless sound escaping from her when she felt Ben's free hand slither down her stomach and seductively rub the side of her right leg.

The brunette caught her gasp in a rough but passionate kiss as he pressed his body against hers. Gwen quietly moaned and sighed into his kiss as she loosely placed her hands on his hips. When they broke apart, Ben gazed into her emerald green eyes with a wicked smile on his face.

"That actually wasn't so bad."

Gwen could not speak – nor did she want to. It was as though she stopped resisting the damn red liquid in her system, finally letting the full effects of the sedative claim her mind, body and soul. So instead of pushing away from him, she pushed _him_ backwards roughly until his legs hit the edge of the vast bed.

"This is so wrong," she said breathlessly, climbing over him and kissing his warm lips. "But it feels so right. Stupid sedative!" She snuggled into his chest, reveling in his unique scent. It was also different, so exotic and spicy. It made him feel much more attractive to her senses. Could it have been the purifying water too?

Ben laughed lightly, feeling immensely aroused at the dominating Gwen. He tangled his hands into her long, silky red hair, growling lightly as she nipped at the sensitive skin on his collar-bone. Instantly, he reversed their positions, letting Gwen fall on the bed, her hair fanning around her like fire.

"Gwen," Ben said huskily, sliding his hand underneath the flimsy gown she wore. "I meant it when I said you were sexy." He lightly scratched her back, receiving a shiver and moan in return.

Gwen kissed the brunette's neck again, sucking on some parts to leave marks on the muscled flesh. She felt the palm of a hand caress over the front of her breast before squeezing it gently, a second hand joining in on the neglected other. Lust and frustrating hunger for her cousin made her moan softly, letting her hands wander over Ben's defined chest muscles. She wondered why she never noticed before how nicely built he actually was.

"Ben!" She moaned aloud, his teasing frustrating her more than ever.

Ben chuckled again, hearing her pant as he continued the arousing motion to her body. He felt overjoyed to feel her accepting his touch. In one fluid motion, he pulled off her gown and threw it off the bed, his green eyes gazing at her below him in admiration.

"You're so beautiful."

Gwen stared into the identical green eyes of the boy above her. She felt so happy and emotional to see real admiration for her in Ben's eyes. "Were you blind before?" She asked him teasingly, to which he grinned.

"Kevin is one lucky bastard," Ben looked into her eyes despite the dark as he lay on top of her, propping his body up by nothing more than his elbows and forearms; his lips moving over hers again causing her to shiver.

Gwen felt no guilt at the mention of her boyfriend's name. In fact, she vaguely realized all her rational thoughts had finally abandoned her. Right now, everything that was happening, everything that she felt seemed perfectly normal. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she could not resist anything. The sedative had consumed her system, building lust inside her by every second. And Ben – he looked far from stopping. Instead, every look that he shared with her scorched her with his burning desire. He seemed too fogged in his hunger for her. Gwen again blamed the double amount of sedative that ran through his body.

Actually, she was rather thankful.

Annoyed that she was the only one without clothes, she quickly pulled down the long zipper that was at the back of Ben's gown. Breaking from the kiss, she pulled the fabric over the brunette's head, throwing it as far away as she could.

"In such a hurry, huh?" Ben's teasing tone made her stare at his face. His brown hair was tousled, green eyes sparkling with heat and a naughty smile adoring his lips.

"Ben, please! I know you can't hold back too."

Indeed, Gwen felt Ben's hard member brush against her abdomen and she knew that soon it would be time for the ultimate act of love. Finally the 'aliens' would get what they always wanted from them.

Finally they would be able to go back home.

Ben groaned from the ache the pressure caused and Gwen cupped his face before placing a quick kiss on his lips. Her other hand slid into the palm of his and she moved under him, laying her back on the upper part of his bed as she pulled him with her. She hooked her legs on his waist and crossed them on his back giving him full access to her delicate entrance, the tip of his member only inches away.

Ben brushed the silky hair away from Gwen's emerald eyes and smiled tenderly before closing the distance between them and feeling a whole new world of pleasure.

He pushed his hips forward into her, and Gwen gasped, body tensing as he slid himself into her one blissfully satisfying inch at a time. He pushed until most of him was inside her heated center. Then, just as slowly, almost teasingly slow, Ben pulled backwards, the very tip of him meeting the very beginnings of her before he slowly worked himself all the way inside of her again.

"Oh God!" Gwen cried, wiggling her hips, body begging for Ben to pick up speed before she voiced it on her own. "Harder Ben, please, harder!"

His own body trembling from the heat of the depths of Gwen's body, Ben gladly followed her instructions. He groaned in bliss as her tight entrance tried to resist the speed of him as he delved within her as fast as he could.

Her moaning and whispering of his name as she rocked in a rhythmic motion were the only things that occupied his mind; his partner – his _cousin_ and himself were moving in perfect unison. He wanted to feel disgusted . . . ashamed. Yet all he could think of was how right this felt. He was no stranger to all this. In fact, he and Julie had been intimate for a couple of times before. He had felt amazing, every time they had joined together.

Yet nothing beat this feeling. It was . . . indescribable.

Ben tightly shut his eyes, feeling a budding pressure build with in him, as it fiercely threatened to overwhelm him and end the beautiful thing they'd started. And he damn sure wasn't going to let that happen, not until he was sure Gwen had gotten all the pleasure she desired first.

Abruptly he stopped his thrusts and withdrew himself from the red-headed woman's depths, smiling lightly as Gwen's lips pouted at her sudden loss of him. She narrowed her eyes as if to say,

"You. Inside me. NOW."

Ben lightly kissed her soft lips before entering her slowly again, reveling in her satisfied sigh. He thrust slowly, as though trying to find the exact spot that would make her scream. Sure enough, he angled his thrusts just so and instantly she began screaming in pleasure. Thrust for thrust she met him, each one stroking her core dead on.

"B-Ben!" She gasped, clutching onto his back as though afraid he would let go. "Don't stop, plea – oh, GOD."

"Who said I would stop, Gwen?" Ben smiled against her skin, proud that he could make her satisfied. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Everything inside her began to feel tighter as Ben picked up the pace. His breathing was short and his pushes became longer. Gwen felt her muscles contract tighter as the pleasure rose and rose. With a few well-placed thrusts, Gwen felt her climax reach its toll. She buried her face in the crook of his sweet-smelling neck as she held back her cries, her hips bucking from her uncontrolled muscles. She let her hands wildly rove around the teenage hero's smooth back and arms, sobbing with intense pleasure as he hit her spot continuously.

With a few more quick movements, Ben let out a deep groan before going into short quick thrusts, his orgasm thundering through his body like an avalanche. He kissed Gwen deeply, nibbling on her lower lip as the tremors passed him in waves.

It took them both a long while to settle down from the high of their orgasms. Gwen stared up into the green eyes full of passion, lightly combing her fingers through Ben's messy brown hair. Her gaze fell to his lips, which looked red and swollen from intense kissing.

"Wow . . ." he breathed, still quite shaken.

Gwen, head buried in his shoulder again, giggled lightly. "Ben, don't you feel uncomfortable knowing that those creatures saw everything? I mean, this room is full of recording machines to capture every detail of this moment."

Ben slowly detached himself from her, rolling off to lay by her side. "Really? How come I couldn't see any?"

To answer him, Gwen pointed to the corners of the ceilings and various parts of the walls. Ben's eyes followed her finger, observing every one of the devices she pointed out. They were small and so perfectly hidden that he was surprised she could even notice them. He turned his head to face her, a lop-sided grin on his face.

"Huh, it makes me feel as though I've just done a pornographic film. Hey Gwen, what if they are not actually aliens, but perverted, dirty old men who –"

"Ben!" Gwen laughed loudly at her cousin's silly assumption, knowing that he meant it as a joke. She propped her head up on one elbow, looking down into the face she was so familiar with. "You know, we will probably be free now."

Ben's smile suddenly faltered as he stared up into his cousin's happy face. "Yeah," he slowly replied back, looking away.

"Ben, what's wrong?" Gwen cupped his cheek with one hand, feeling the hints of his stubble prick her. "Don't you want to go back? Are you – feeling disgusted by what happened?"

Ben turned to meet her eyes, and suddenly she found herself being pulled down to him by the back of her neck. She felt surprised as the brunette kissed her hardly, fiercely – the complete opposite to what they had been sharing before.

"Doofus," Ben mumbled as he pulled away, smiling lightly. He nuzzled into her neck as he loved to do, scratching Gwen's soft neck with his light stubble. "I'm upset, but not because of what happened . . . but because of what I want to keep doing. We can never forget what happened between us, however much we wish to."

Gwen let half of her body rest atop her cousin's hard form, burying her face into the soft brown curls that smelled so intoxicating. She felt ticklish as Ben kept rubbing against her neck like a cat, his breath occasionally tickling her skin as well. Yet her smile had now vanished, a frown appearing between her fore head. She knew what Ben said was true. Nothing would ever be the same between them anymore.

"I don't want to forget, then. It's a special secret between me and you."

Ben let his hands tangle into the long orange-red hair, smiling at Gwen's exclamation despite feeling like crap. He started to feel dizzy again, and vaguely realized that his sight was become blurry, as though looking through a mist.

"You're right," he replied, pulling the girl closer to him, "It's our secret. No matter what, you'll always be my Gwennie." He felt pretty stupid saying embarrassing things like this, but when he felt his cousin's soft laughter vibrate onto him, he knew it was worth it.

"And you," Gwen replied sleepily, her eyes drifting closed, "Will always be my Doofus cousin." She felt Ben smile against her skin before letting the sudden tiredness claim her body. The room felt slightly chillier, and she snuggled closer to the body beneath for warmth.

_Ben, I am so lucky to have you here with me. Never let me go._

Ben felt cold suddenly, hugging Gwen closer for warmth. She seemed to have fallen asleep, so Ben carefully laid her back on the bed. That was when he realized something was definitely wrong.

It was not his eyes that had problems. The room itself looked like it was filled with thin fog.

"What –?"

Ben panicked, turning to stare at the hidden cameras in the walls. "What is going on?"

"Stop panicking, Human."

Ben heard the familiar 'alien' voice reverberate through the room. He turned to Gwen, expecting her to wake up and was worried when she didn't.

"I repeat, what the _hell_ is going on?!"

"We are sending you back to Earth," came the simple reply, causing Ben to narrow his eyes in mistrust. "You gave us details we required, and we dutifully shall give you back your freedom."

"Then why is Gwen not waking up? What is this fog in the room?"

"Those are sleep-inducing fumes which will cause you both drift into a deep, dreamless sleep. It also has the properties to cause selective amnesia to your minds, triggering your memories to disappear."

"You mean," Ben said in a shocked voice, suddenly too tired to keep shouting and keep his eyes open. "Neither I nor Gwen will remember this day?"

"Hopefully."

Ben lay back on the bed, frowning as the suspicious mist swirled around the room. True to what the creature said, he felt instantly sleepy. At first, he tried to fight back the urge to close his eyes. He didn't really want to forget this incident, feeling extremely depressed at himself when he realized that he had enjoyed the whole thing. Slowly, as his body felt heavier, he came to accept that maybe what had happened was in fact good for both of them.

Ben turned his face to see his cousin's. She was so beautiful when asleep – no frown lines marring her innocent face. Ben subconsciously tried to remember the picture she made there as she lay on the pillow, her red hair fanned around her pillow and on his chest.

"_Too bad, Gwen_," he thought grimly, feeling slightly disappointed. "_Our secret will actually stay safe, as neither of us will remember it anyway."_

Then, without further thoughts or feelings, he felt his eyes close and the world suddenly go blank.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry again for the late update, but I hope you forgive me with this long chapter =)**

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CHAPTER: 4

". . . So, I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Uh, yeah alright." Ben replied, hearing a satisfied sigh emit from the other end of the cell phone. He waited until his cousin dropped the line first before closing his phone himself.

_What a way to spend the weekend._

Ben fell down on his bed, clasping his hands under his head and stared at the white ceiling above him. After Gwen had called him to hang out at Mr. Smoothies with Kevin, Julie and herself, the teenage hero felt slightly restless. Not because of the idea itself, but because of the fact that he would confront his red-headed cousin in quite a long time.

_Damn, stupid dreams! Why the hell – about your own cousin! Aagh, stupid hormones!_

The same dream had been plaguing him for a few weeks now, ever since he and Gwen found themselves mysteriously fainted in the dirty alleyway behind Mr. Smoothies. Since that strange day, he would have his perfectly normal dreams suddenly interrupted by random flashes and visions – all related to Gwen.

The first time, he had a dream that he was in some spaceship and was hugging a shaking Gwen for comfort.

The second time, he had Gwen crushed between a wall and his own body, and the horrifying part was that they were actually _kissing_.

The third – well, he dared not think about that. He had never blushed as much as he would at the thought of these dreams before in his life!

Ben sighed, turning over on his stomach and burying his face in his pillow. He knew they were just dreams, but he couldn't help it. He was somehow afraid that if he would come face to face with Gwen, she would be able to extract out his thoughts – whether through a simple eye connection or by telepathy. He shuddered at the latter.

"Ugh, I feel like a pervert or something," he mumbled into his pillow.

After trying to suffocate himself in his own pillow unsuccessfully (as a form of punishment about thinking _stuff_), he flipped on his back and stared outside his window. The full moon was so bright and beautiful, its light shining over half of Ben's bed. The brunette just turned his head to stare at the unoccupied side, imagining his own cousin lying down beside him.

_She was so beautiful when asleep – no frown lines marring her innocent face. Ben stared as she lay on the pillow, her red hair fanned around her pillow like fire._

"_It's a special secret between me and you." Gwen whispered, her eyes blinking sleepily._

"What –" Ben sat up quickly, feeling his heartbeat increase ten folds. He rubbed his face and stared at the moonlit spot again, afraid Gwen might still be there. "Ugh, just another vision. God, when will it stop?"

After a few moments of silence, his heartbeat finally went back to normal. As he lay back on the bed, his thoughts became more and more troubled.

_It's not just visions – they feel more like __Déjà vu __or something. Shit, how will I face Gwen tomorrow?!_

He had a strong feeling these visions were related to that strange night almost three weeks back. Somehow, he wanted to talk to Gwen and ask her about it.

Maybe . . . she had these strange visions too?

With that comforting thought, Ben let his eyes gaze unseeingly at the bright moon, waiting patiently for sleep to finally claim him.

Not so far away, staring at the very same moon was a fiery red-headed Tennyson with similar troubling thoughts.

Only, they were not as similar as the brunette's.

Gwen cuddled her pillow as she snuggled deeper under her covers, half happy and half nervous for tomorrow. Happy, as finally after weeks the four friends would be able to spend time and catch up with what was happening. Nervous, because of Ben.

Ben, who seemed hell-bent upon avoiding her for some reason.

She was determined to find out what was bothering her cousin. After that strange day, when they both found themselves in the dark alleyway, Ben seemed distant from her. He rarely called her anymore and whenever she called him, he would make an excuse and hang up. Not only did his behavior make her annoyed; it also hurt in some way. After all, they were close to each other for seven years – they were not only cousins, but partners.

A team.

Gwen sighed, watching the moon hide behind clouds and eventually peep back out in its full glory. When had been the last time she saw him? Ah, yes, two days after the incident. Ben and his parents had come over for a small family gathering. The dinner was normal, and Ben seemed to smile and talk properly. However, whenever they were suddenly left alone, he would become quiet and cold. He would never even look her in the eyes anymore. A thought suddenly struck her, causing her to fiddle with her fingers nervously.

Did Ben sense something wrong with her? Could he notice the way she blushed whenever he looked her way?

Gwen hoped not.

_Ugh, stupid dreams! Or nightmares . . . hallucinations . . . whatever!_

Gwen felt heat rise in her cheeks at the mere thought of Ben ever finding out what kind of perverted hallucinations she seemed to be having recently. But she couldn't help it! She was more than baffled at her situation.

Maybe . . . just maybe Ben has such hallucinations too?

Gwen felt her heartbeat increase gradually at the mere thought. Although it was embarrassing, she was curious to know about her cousin. She was one hundred percent sure that this craziness started from the day she and Ben found themselves in the strange back alley.

_Yup, it has something to do with the night before. I just can't remember what._

* * *

The place was filled with all sorts of noises – children screaming, parents scolding their kids, teenagers laughing together in groups, and waitresses moving to and fro, their high heels clicking on the tiled floor of Mr. Smoothies. Overall, the atmosphere was noisy, albeit interesting and cheerful.

To one corner of the rather busy shop, four teenagers sat in two pairs, both facing one another. Kevin and Gwen sat together, the former laughing loudly at some random joke and causing the small square table in front of them to shake.

"I don't see what is so funny, Kevin," Julie, who was sitting beside her boyfriend Ben, said with an amused smile. "You've told us this joke countless times before, you know."

Kevin sobered up at once, mock hurt on his face. "Julie! How could you say such a thing? You hurt my pride in front of my girlfriend!" He glanced to his side as he said that, expecting Gwen's affectionate eyes to stare back at him. Therefore he was slightly annoyed when she didn't respond, instead staring out of the window at the darkening sky.

Kevin sighed, slumping back into his seat and crossing his arm over his chest. His eyes slowly moved from Gwen to her brunette cousin, who was currently helping himself to his fourth Banana and strawberry smoothie on the opposite side. Kevin wondered why both cousins were acting so formally with each other, not making eye contact and exchanging few words when only necessary.

"So Kevin," Julie's voice pulled his attention away from the strange Tennysons, and he focused on the pretty Asian instead, "Ben told me you did some new modifications to your car. What exactly did you do?"

Kevin stared at the raven-head silently for a few seconds, wondering how and when she became so interested in car mechanics and alien equipment. He assumed it was because Ben wasn't paying much attention to her (or anyone at all) that she wanted to start a decent conversation with him.

Well, he was fine with that. Besides, he did love to talk about his car.

The two raven-haired teens chatted away, their voices surrounding the small table accompanied by Ben's occasional slurping sounds. The only one who remained silent was Gwen, who kept staring out the window in deep thought. Her hands fiddled nervously with the hem of her blouse and she willed herself to relax.

She knew she had to stop chewing her bottom lip furiously for two main reasons: One, it would fall off, and Two, Ben's attention was constantly diverted to her actions, his green eyes sliding back and forth from his smoothie to her lips within seconds.

She felt flustered for some goddamn reason, and she needed to get to the bottom of this madness!

"I want to order another smoothie," Gwen suddenly stood up, causing the others to look up suddenly.

"Babe," Kevin said uncertainly, "You don't have to go. We'll just call a waiter –"

"No," Gwen interrupted him sharply. Then, with a softer tone she said, "I want to walk for a moment. My legs are tired from sitting."

"Should I come with you then?"

Gwen laughed lightly, rolling her eyes as Kevin moved aside to let her pass. "No thank you. There is no danger here. Besides – " Gwen threw a meaningful glance at her cousin, " – Ben is coming with me. He wants another smoothie too."

Ben stared at his cousin in slight confusion, quickly closing his mouth before he could deny the red-head's exclamation. Gwen stared at him in a Come-with-me-NOW look, so he had no option but to follow.

"Yeah, I need one more smoothie. We'll be back soon." Ben stood beside his cousin, wondering why she suddenly planned to speak with him. Was she not avoiding him before? Actually, he was also avoiding her, so he was equal to blame.

_Did she read my mind?_ Ben suddenly thought in panic, as he followed Gwen to the front of the shop. _Oh no, no, that should not have happened! God, if you are listening, kill me now._

He was too preoccupied in his worrisome thoughts that he didn't notice Gwen leading him away from the counter and towards the back of the shop, where there were more secluded spots for customers. Once she finally stopped and he accidentally bumped into her back, he noticed his surroundings.

"Sorry! Wh-why are we here?" Ben asked in confusion, his gaze sweeping across the small tables with partitions in between to offer privacy. He felt heat creep up his neck as words like _Alone_ . . . _Gwen_ . . . _Kiss_ . . .sprang up in his mind. He shook his head to clear his perverted thoughts, focusing on his cousin instead.

Sadly, it was a mistake. Gwen looked pretty lovely this evening, dressed in a red silk blouse and long black skirt, looking so feminine compared to Julie. Ben couldn't help but let his eyes run over her form in appreciation and . . . lust?

Her red hair was tied into a messy bun, few tendrils escaping and fluttering around her pretty face. Her eyes were like gleaming emeralds, her pink lips looking so soft and warm, almost swollen from her constant biting. Ben let his gaze wander lower, appreciating the graceful dip of her neck to collarbone. Her skin looked so smooth, and Ben suddenly wondered what it would feel like to mark that unblemished skin.

_Wait . . . what?_

"Ben, are you listening to me?" Gwen's voice penetrated his hazy mind and he bleatingly realized that she was clutching onto his right arm. As though her touch burned, Ben quickly removed her hand and took a few steps backwards. He did not miss the hurt look that passed on the pretty face.

Never before did he want to destroy something big and heavy as he did now.

"Sorry," Ben sighed, running a hand through his hair. "What were you saying?"

"I was saying," Gwen started with a sigh, "that I feel you seem to be avoiding me lately! Why?"

"Funny," Ben replied with a raised eyebrow, sitting on top of one table, his arms crossed over his chest, "I thought the same about you too."

"Me?" Gwen looked flustered for a moment. She quickly regained her composure before staring down at her cousin. "N-No. I'm not avoiding you at all! It's just – I don't know – W-what – ?"

Ben reached out and caught one of the lithe wrists in his hand, causing Gwen to go silent. She felt her heartbeat suddenly increase, and she scolded herself for behaving like an idiot.

_It's Ben, BEN. You're annoying, pompous cousin!_

Ben was just grinning at her, making her feel like a cornered animal. A couple walked past them, throwing them knowing smiles before disappearing out of sight. Gwen huffed in annoyance. Obviously people thought them a couple about to indulge in some private moments . . .

Flashes of her hallucinations flew past her mind, making her blush harder.

_No, stop thinking about that! Think about Ben – his annoying smirk which I would love to wipe off from his face. Or about his hair, nice soft hair – did he actually brush it? He looks nice today, wait – is that the shirt I gifted him?_

Gwen stared at his white, long-sleeved shirt, which had a black skull print in the middle. It went well with his black jeans. Gwen was impressed. Who knew her immature, doofus cousin cleaned up well? No to mention, he smelled quite nice too.

_Okay Gwen, stop right there._

"Uh," Gwen frowned suddenly, aware that her wrist was still in Ben's grasp. Her emerald eyes darted between Ben's face to where there hands touched. She saw the brunette smile at the apprehensive look in her eyes. "Ben," Gwen started softly, trying to pry her wrist away to no avail, "I want to know what happened weeks back. You know, the morning we found ourselves in that alley?"

Ben stubbornly kept his grip on Gwen's wrist, refusing to let go. The simple, innocent touch gave him tingles down his spine, and he knew their contact made her nervous. That thought was quite pleasing indeed. Besides, he had this feeling that if he would let her go, she would leave. So instead of paying attention to his cousin twisting her wrist weakly in his hand, he focused on her question.

"Hmm, me too."

"You mean you don't remember anything as well?"

"Nope," Ben shrugged, loosening his grip on her and beckoning her to sit on the bouncy-cushioned chair near the table. "I don't know anything and I, like you, want to know what happened."

Gwen unconsciously let Ben set her down on one of the chairs present, wondering why both of them couldn't remember a thing. She glanced at Ben, startled lightly at now their switch of positions. He was still sitting on the table top with his legs crossed, staring down at her in curiosity. Gwen didn't know whether to scold the brunette to get off the table from the ridiculous position, or simply laugh. She cleared her throat before leaning back in her chair and speak.

"Let's start from what we can remember, okay?"

Ben shrugged. "Yeah, okay. I remember that night we dropped Kevin off to his favorite mechanic shop –"

"– and it was just me and you then. Yeah, I remember." Gwen said, her eyes glazing over as she tried her best to remember.

"I wanted to go to and parked under my very favorite cherry blossom tree!"

Gwen rolled her eyes at his exclamation. "Yeah yeah. And then there were strange noises coming from the left alleyway, right?"

"You know Gwen," Ben suddenly said, his green eyes full of confusion, "I feel as though we had this type of conversation before. I just can't remember where."

"Really?" Gwen stared at Ben.

"Yeah," Ben replied, a frown on his boyishly handsome face, "But whatever. Anyways, yeah, I remember the weird noises. I still think they were those rats I keep telling you about!"

"Ben, there are no such things as three-foot long – You know what?" Gwen suddenly said in confusion, "I also think we had this same conversation before."

Both cousins stared at each other in silence. Ben took the silence and moment to innocently let his gaze wander over the red-head once more, admiring her looks and well – _her_. Gwen, though, stared at the brunette in genuine puzzlement. Why was this so familiar?

"I followed into the alley after you, and I just remember seeing a pair of golden eyes before blacking out." Gwen started slowly, biting her lips once more.

"Me too. I mean, I blacked-out in that alley after seeing a hooded person. Next thing I know, I'm sprawled across the dirty street at dawn with you on top!"

"Wha – I was not on top of you!" Gwen spluttered, pink tinting her cheeks.

"Yes, you were," Ben said solemnly, enjoying his cousin's reaction. "I don't remember what happened during that five-hour time lapse though."

"Ugh, me too," Gwen held her head between her hands, feeling annoyed at the lack of memories. She slowly looked up with a troubled expression. "But, you know Ben, my gut tells me it's better to forget what happened."

"Mmm, really? Then I guess I shouldn't tell you about some things . . ."

Gwen sat up, staring at her brunette cousin curiously. Ben just gazed up at the ceiling, his Adam's Apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed with difficulty. He slowly met her gaze, and she could see worry and confusion in his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair – a gesture he got into a habit of doing when he was nervous.

"Should I read it off your mind?" Gwen asked softly, her eyes suddenly glowing magenta.

Ben swallowed again, more nervous than before. He had a furious battle in his mind, debating whether he should let Gwen know about his visions or not. Gwen was curious, though. She desperately wanted to know something about their missing memories, and Ben realized that maybe it would be better to tell her everything. So, instead of speaking, he nodded and leaned his head lower. He felt Gwen's fingertips lightly touch his cheek, triggering his eyes to close and the troubling visions to surface. All of the scenes, some which he hadn't even seen before, flew past his mind's eye like a silent film.

_Gwen crying, clutching his shirt tightly . . ._

_Strange hooded creatures, one of them injecting something inside his arm . . ._

_He, cornering Gwen to a wall in a dimly lit room . . ._

_Gwen, lying down on a bed, her red hair sprawled around her head and his chest . . ._

Gwen released Ben's face, her magenta eyes slowly fading back to green. Ben kept watching her, yet she could not look him in the eye. How could she, after what she had just witnessed? It was beyond embarrassing, to know that Ben had been plagued with _such_ kinds of visions. It was enough that she suffered through them.

"Gwen?"

No answer.

Ben sighed, shaking her softly by one shoulder. "Gwen, c'mon, say som –"

"S-Stop!" Gwen threw his hand off with a strong force and got up. "I think we should f-forget everything."

Ben quickly seized her hand, pulling her back so that she crashed back onto her chair. He placed a leg on either side, effectively trapping her.

"What? Forget everything? Gwen, we don't even _remember_ anything yet!"

"Well, let's not try to remember!"

"You were the one so eager to –"

"Yes, I was!" Gwen shouted, staring up at her cousin in unexplainable anger.

"Look," Ben said quietly, raising his hands up in defense, "Those visions you saw, they are not my imaginations! I seem to be having them frequently since that night." He leaned his head lower so that he was eye-level with his cousin. "And I want you to honestly answer me. Do you get them as well?"

Gwen didn't speak for a few seconds, her anger turning into shame.

"Yes," she whispered, looking away. When Ben didn't answer her, she glanced back up at him, startled to see him smirking. "What?"

"And here you accusingly look at _me_ as the pervert."

"Benjamin!"

"Sorry, sorry." Ben slowly became serious, pondering on a thought. "I guess we were kidnapped by some aliens or something that night."

"Maybe," Gwen replied, "And they must have removed our memories before dumping us back in the alley."

"And whatever happened must have been crazy. I mean, in most visions you seem to be either squirming under me or kissing me."

"Ben!" Gwen punched his shoulder in mortification.

"I swear, Gwen." Ben had a lot of difficulty in maintaining a cool pose, his face threatening to break into an evil grin. "I'm sure you saw some scenes in which you weren't even wearing –"

"Benjamin!"

"– anything on. Come to think of it, neither was I."

"Benjamin Tennyson, stop this instant!" Gwen's eyes glowed an omnious magenta, causing Ben to go silent. Yet he couldn't help grin at his cousin's red face and eyes that were full of embarrassment.

"It must have been fun," Ben started slowly, gazing at his red-head cousin from the corner of his eye in case she punched his face or used her power. "I mean, you were moaning an – mmph!"

Ben was sure he was dreaming. How could this be true anyway? One moment, he was teasing his cousin, and in the next his mouth was under attack.

_Dear, sweet God!_

Gwen pulled the brunette lower, her arms encircling his neck as she kissed him with total abandonment. All frustration, anger, confusion, desire . . . everything poured out into that kiss. She smiled against the boy's lips as she felt him shiver slightly.

"You asked for it, Ben," Gwen said breathlessly, as she released him from her arms. She laughed at Ben's dazed look, his mouth slightly open. "I see a simple kiss made you finally shut up, didn't it?"

"W-what?" Ben murmured confusedly, lips still tingling from the kiss. He slowly let a naughty smile grace his face, "Ah, so you have been battling with your inner feelings for me, have you now Gwennie?"

Gwen pushed aside his leg and stood up gracefully. "In your _dreams_, hero boy." Her sarcastic smile slipped away as she said in a more serious tone, "I don't know what happened, Ben, but maybe it is better that we don't remember. Look at the fragments of memories that we have!"

Ben stood up as well, frowning lightly. "Maybe you are right. But," He cheekily wrapped his arms around the red-head's waist, causing her to gasp. "You can't deny your feelings for me after whatever must have happened between us. Not after that kiss!"

"That was simply to shut you up," Gwen pushed at his surprisingly hard chest, blushing furiously, "I can never fall in love with you! You're my doofus cousin."

"Oh yeah?" Ben released her slowly, an unreadable expression on his face. "We'll see about that."

Gwen rolled her eyes before making her way back to Kevin and Julie, wondering what excuse to make for their long absence.

* * *

"Is something wrong, Kevin?" Julie asked softly, rubbing her hands together.

"Wha – No. Nothing," Kevin shook his head at the Asian girl, smiling in a reassuring way. "Why do you ask that?"

"Oh, it's just you went to check up on the other two and came back all silent." Julie frowned lightly, "Are you sure everything is fine?"

Kevin swallowed, smiling lightly. "Yep. Nothing's wrong, Julie. They said they'll be back in a few minutes."

"Oh," Julie settled back and started on her second smoothie.

Kevin's smile slowly slipped away, as he stared out of the tinted windows.

_Nothing's okay, Julie. And if you witnessed what I just did . . ._

Deep down, Kevin always knew that Ben harbored different feelings for his cousin. And tonight, his doubts were confirmed. All he did was walk to the counter, and not finding them there, walk to the back. Lo and Behold! The two were kissing . . . _kissing_ like long lost lovers!

He felt crushed, angry and sad.

Yet, surprisingly it was as though he anticipated such an occurrence to show. From the start, when he newly joined the team, Kevin knew that there was something more to those two cousins than it looked. Ben was over-protective of Gwen, a main reason she was single in High School. It was not that guys didn't approach her with love confessions – Heck no! Kevin knew her locker was mostly always filled with love letters and chocolates from secret admirers. It was the simple fact that to get Gwen, there was a barrier named 'Ben' to pass through first.

And Ben did all he could to make the enemy lose.

Kevin was actually surprised when Ben accepted him dating his cousin without much fuss. He had to know better – Ben would never leave them alone much at all! He was like a constant presence, like an annoying itch on the bum. But once Ben started dating Julie, things turned better.

Kevin sighed. Yes, Ben always had deeper feelings for Gwen. It was there, especially the time when he had broken up with Julie, only to be infatuated by Eunice.

Eunice – who had _Gwen's_ frigging DNA!

Kevin knew that what occurred at the back of the shop was not an accident and such. Soon, he was sure, _he_ would be like the third wheel. Not Ben.

_I love Gwen, but if she's happy, then it's fine by me._ Kevin swallowed a lump of despair, trying to look on the bright side of things. _And it's not like I'm bad-looking! There are plenty of fish out in the sea._

"Sorry for being late!"

Gwen's overly cheery voice made him snap his head up.

"What took you guys so long?"

"Oh," Ben replied slowly, "there was quite a crowd. So we figured that it's better to go back home as it's getting rather late."

Kevin nodded silently, staring at Ben's smiling face. No matter how hard he'd try, he couldn't really hate the brunette hero.

_Damn, I'm going soft._

As Kevin engaged Julie in a conversation and led them out of the shop, Ben chuckled lightly. Gwen slapped his arm.

"So you think it's funny to have made them wait so long?" She hissed, walking towards the exit slowly, "Imagine if they knew what happened back there."

"Oh c'mon," Ben raised an eyebrow, "Just admit that you wished we had more alone time to ourselves."

"Pervert," Gwen blushed, frowning. "As I said before, I kissed you to shut you up! I am not and never will be in lo –" She abruptly stopped talking when she felt a strong hand grip her arm. She found herself suddenly pressed up to the darkened windows by the exit. "Ben, what are you doing?!"

"Oh yeah?" he asked softly, leaning lower so that their lips were inches apart. "Then pray tell why your heart is beating so incredibly hard right now?"

"B-Because," Gwen shifted, trying to push her cousin backwards like before. It was useless, and it felt like pushing a brick wall. "What if they see us like this?"

"No, they won't," Ben smirked, his green eyes boring into hers deeply. "You wanna know why? Because, doofus, the windows are tinted!" He laughed softly before grabbing her chin between his fingers for a kiss. Her lips were so warm and spongy as he nibbled on them, and he almost laughed when Gwen let out a badly disguised moan.

"N-No! Stop it Ben. Not here."

Ben lifted his head up, staring down at the flushed face of his sweet, innocent looking cousin. "Not here? You mean there will be a next time, huh?" He smiled widely before leaning down to whisper in her ear, "And you said that you can never fall in love with me. Stop lying to yourself, Gwen."

_You wanna play cat and mouse, Gwen? Fine. But I assure you that you're gonna lose._

He smiled as he saw her shiver and straightened up. He swiftly took a few steps away. "I'll be seeing you soon, Gwen," he threw her a cheeky wink before sliding his hands in his pockets and exiting the shop.

Gwen just stood there, breathing deeply. She stared at her reflection in the windows, her lips red with Ben's abuse. Slowly, a joyful smile spread across them.

Never before did she feel such warmth in her heart as she did now.

* * *

**This did not turn out as I expected. I know I might have made Kevin OOC, but I honestly didn't know how to write from his POV. I haven't even watched the series, so forgive me *Bow's head in despair* But I sincerely hope this chapter makes you all happy!**

**I can't believe my first ever story published on here is complete! :D To top it all, I got so much love from you guys and that was the sole reason my motivation stayed within me. So, thank you to all the people who alerted/favorite this story. SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL THE REVIEWERS:**

**BlindMaster, all the 'Guest' reviewers (seriously at least write a name xD), JojobaxP****, ****ddk, charly824****, ****Dark Lelouch3221****, ****Sheer-Despair, xxxThom creedxxx****, ****Nightwing 509****, ****Alex654, Miroir Twin****, ****Mira-Princess, s0mb0dy****, ****Black Elegance****, ****LesMustaches****, ****Josh Spicer****, ****Jack, kitkat2150****, ****ZanaZ****, ****Grue, Mr. BG (I was truly honored to see you read my story!)****, Alex, ****Traitor of All Traitors**** (Happy? ^^).**

**But don't forget to review one last time. Who knows, I may plan to write another Bwen fic? *Wink* Until next time ^-^**


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